ABSTRACT
Extensive efforts have been made to identify risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This is for good reason. AD is a dementing disorder associated with major disability and shortened life span. It is also relatively common. Based on current information, the general population risk of AD has been estimated to be over 20% by 90 years of age. This chapter reviews current knowledge concerning genetic risks for AD, and will outline some directions for future work. Elucidation of the genetics of AD could actually foster development of effective treatments. Isolation of pathologic genes and their associated products could pin-point steps in the AD disease process at which intervention could stall or even reverse disease progression. The evidence for the genetic independence of “Alzheimer’s disease” and “senile dementia” was highly circular. In the Sjogren et al. study no secondary “senile dementia” cases were reported among relatives of “Alzheimer’s disease” probands.
